The Rationale

Jenny and Nicole give some background to the project:

“As working singers we have specialised throughout our careers in recital and chamber music programs and have performed, recorded and commissioned new Australian works and contemporary art songs. Through long associations with high calibre and boutique ensembles including Halcyon, The Song Company and Cantillation, we have also worked in collaboration with many wonderful Australian composers - from the emerging to the venerated – and know first-hand some of the wealth of song that exists in this country.

As teachers of singing we have brought this experience into our studios, sharing our interest and knowledge with students and guiding them to greater awareness and appreciation of this interesting and varied repertoire. But we have found the number of singing students who have studied music of either living or Australian composers is still relatively small. Conversations with colleagues have made us aware that a resource such as this is an important tool to assist teachers and students to connect to Australian composition and composers.

While many teachers and students know the Australian Music Centre as a valuable hub to discover more about Australian music, we have heard that teachers can feel daunted when making song selections from the vast online catalogue. Additionally some older songs, which may have once been handed on from teacher to student, are currently out of print. Too many songs that could potentially be used within teaching studios are currently inaccessible or unknown. We have both been asked numerous times for assistance in selecting repertoire and have realised there is a real need for a more comprehensive and accessible art song-specific resource.

We created the AASR because we want to see more Australian music sung and more Australian composers performed.”